YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMEMNT

PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS

GROUP FOUR
NAMES MATRIC NUMBERS
OLANREWAJU SULAIMON D. F/ND/16/3440073
AMBALI MUHIZ O. F/ND/16/3440009
KELANI RIDNWAN F/ND/16/3440099
OLAULADE PROMISE F/ND/16/3440091
OLAMIDE F/ND/16/3440121
ADEDOKAN OLUWATOBI F/ND/16/34400

HEAT TREATMENT

SUBITTED TO KELVIN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

LITERATURE REVIEW

METHODOLOGY

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

 ABSTRACT
In the modern engineering world, extensive research has led to the development of
some special grades of steel, often suited for enhanced functions. Steel, having
major applications in power plants, automobile and aerospace industry. Different
heat treatment processes are employed to achieve high hardness and high wear
resistance, but machinability subsequently decreases. Existing literature is not
sufficient to achieve a balance between hardness and machinability. The aim of
this experimental work is to determine the hardness values and observe
microstructural changes in steel, when it is subjected to annealing, normalizing,
tempering and quenching. Finally, the effects of tempering after each of these heat
treatments on hardness and microstructure have also been shown. It is seen that the
tempering after normalizing the specimen achieved satisfactory results. The
microstructure was also observed to be consisting of fine grains. This report entails
the process of heat treatment on steel in the introduction chapter, the second
chapter entails more information on the project topic, the chapter three explains the
method on how various heat treatment experiments that are carried out, the forth
chapter contains the results of the experiment carried out and the last chapter
entails the conclusion made on the research work.
 PREFACE
Heat treatment of metals is essential in our world today in various aspect of our
lives ranging from materials used for nuclear projects to little metals used in small
electronics motherboards. This resulted the commencement of this project which
involves changing the physical structure of some steel materials.
 ACKNOWLEGEMENT
All thanks goes to the almighty for the beginning and ending of the research. Also,
cognizance goes to my project partners and the gurus we sought for the success of
this project.
 1.0 INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS HEAT TREATMENT?
Heat treatment (or heat treating) is a group of industrial and metalworking
processes used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a
material. The most common application is metallurgical. This can be defined as
the range of procedures incurred in changing the properties of metals by heating
and cooling in their solid states. It involves the use of furnaces and other heat
treatment equipment and tools to attain a desired effect on the metal. Heat
treatments are also used in the manufacture of many other materials, such as
glass. Heat treatment involves the use of heating or chilling, normally to extreme
temperatures, to achieve a desired result such as hardening or softening of a
material. Heat treatment techniques include annealing, case hardening,
precipitation strengthening, tempering, carburizing, normalizing and quenching. It
is noteworthy that while the term heat treatment applies only to processes where
the heating and cooling are done for the specific purpose of altering properties
intentionally, heating and cooling often occur incidentally during other
manufacturing processes such as hot forming or welding.

Taking steel as an instance, it is an alloy containing iron and carbon. As

engineering students, we are interested in the heat treatment of metals, because we
have to know what effects the heat produced by welding or cutting has on metal.
We also need to know the methods used to restore metal to its original condition.
The process of heat treating is the method by which metals are heated and cooled
in a series of specific operations that never allow the metal to reach the molten
state. The purpose of heat treating is to make a metal more useful by changing or
restoring its mechanical properties. Through heat treating, we can make a metal
harder, stronger, and more resistant to impact. Also, heat treating can make a metal
softer and more ductile. The one disadvantage is that no heat-treating procedure
can produce all of these characteristics in one operation. Some properties are
improved at the expense of others; for example, hardening a metal may make it
brittle.
HEAT TREATING THEORY
The various types of heat-treating processes are similar because they all involve
the heating and cooling of metals; they differ in the heating temperatures and the
cooling rates used and the final results. The usual methods of heat-treating ferrous
metals (metals with iron) are annealing, normalizing, hardening, and tempering.
Most nonferrous metals can be annealed, but never tempered, normalized, or case-
hardened. Successful heat treatment requires close control over all factors affecting
the heating and cooling of a metal. This control is possible only when the proper
equipment is available. The furnace must be of the proper size and type and
controlled, so the temperatures are kept within the prescribed limits for each
operation. Even the furnace atmosphere affects the condition of the metal being
heat-treated. The furnace atmosphere consists of the gases that circulate throughout
the heating chamber and surround the metal, as it is being heated. In an electric
furnace, the atmosphere is either air or a controlled mixture of gases. In a fuel-fired
furnace, the atmosphere is the mixture of gases that comes from the combination of
the air and the gases released by the fuel during combustion. These gases contain
various proportions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen,
oxygen, water vapor, and other various hydrocarbons. Fuel-fired furnaces can
provide three distinct atmospheres when you vary the proportions of air and fuel.
They are called oxidizing, reducing, and neutral.
STAGES OF HEAT TREATMENT
Heat treating is accomplished in three major stages:
Stage l—heating the metal slowly to ensure a uniform temperature
Stage 2—Soaking (holding) the metal at a given temperature for a given time and
cooling the metal to room temperature.
Stage 3—cooling the metal to room temperature

HEATING STAGE
The primary objective in the heating stage is to maintain uniform temperatures. If
uneven heating occurs, one section of a part can expand faster than another and
result in distortion or cracking. Uniform temperatures are attained by slow heating.
SOAKING STAGE
After the metal is heated to the proper temperature, it is held at that temperature
until the desired internal structural changes take place. This process is called
SOAKING. The length of time held at the proper temperature is called the
SOAKING PERIOD. The soaking period depends on the chemical analysis of the
metal and the mass of the part. When steel parts are uneven in cross section, the
soaking period is determined by the largest section.
During the soaking stage, the temperature of the metal is rarely brought from room
temperature to the final temperature in one operation; instead, the steel is slowly
heated to a temperature just below the point at which the change takes place and
then it is held at that temperature until the heat is equalized throughout the metal.
We call this process PREHEATING. Following preheat, the metal is quickly
heated to the final required temperature.
 COOLING STAGE
After a metal has been soaked, it must be returned to room temperature to complete
the heat-treating process.
To cool the metal, you can place it in direct contact with a COOLING MEDIUM
composed of a gas, liquid, solid, or combination of these. The rate at which the
metal is cooled depends on the metal and the properties desired. The rate of
cooling depends on the medium; therefore, the choice of a cooling medium has an
important influence on the properties desired. Quenching is the procedure used for
cooling metal rapidly in oil, water, brine, or some other medium. Because most
metals are cooled rapidly during the hardening process, quenching is usually
associated with hardening; however, quenching does not always result in an
increase in hardness; for example, to anneal copper, you usually quench it in water.
Other metals, such as air-hardened steels, are cooled at a relatively slow rate for
hardening.

TYPES OF HEAT TREATMENT

Four basic types of heat treatment are used today. They are annealing, normalizing,
hardening, and tempering. The techniques used in each process and how they relate
to Steelworkers are given in the following paragraphs.

ANNEALING
In general, annealing is the opposite of hardening, You anneal metals to relieve
internal stresses, soften them, make them more ductile, and refine their grain
structures. Annealing consists of heating a metal to a specific temperature, holding
it at that temperature for a set length of time, and then cooling the metal to room
temperature. The cooling method depends on the metal and the properties desired.
Some metals are furnace-cooled, and others are cooled by burying them in ashes,
lime, or other insulating materials.

Ferrous Metal
To produce the maximum softness in steel, you heat the metal to its proper
temperature, soak it, and then let it cool very slowly. The cooling is done by
burying the hot part in an insulating material or by shutting off the furnace and
allowing the furnace and the part to cool together. The soaking period depends on
both the mass of the part and the type of metal.
Non Ferrous Metal
Copper becomes hard and brittle when mechanically worked; however, it can be
made soft again by annealing. The annealing temperature for copper is between
700°F and 900°F. Copper maybe cooled rapidly or slowly since the cooling rate
has no effect on the heat treatment. The one drawback experienced in annealing
copper is the phenomenon called “hot shortness.” At about 900°F, copper loses its
tensile strength, and if not properly supported, it could fracture.
Aluminum reacts similar to copper when heat treating. It also has the characteristic
of “hot shortness.” A number of aluminum alloys exist and each requires special
heat treatment to produce their best properties.

NORMALIZING
Normalizing is a type of heat treatment applicable to ferrous metals only. It differs
from annealing in that the metal is heated to a higher temperature and then
removed from the furnace for air cooling.
The purpose of normalizing is to remove the internal stresses induced by heat
treating, welding, casting, forging, forming, or machining. Stress, if not controlled,
leads to metal failure; therefore, before hardening steel, you should normalize it
first to ensure the maximum desired results. Usually, low-carbon steels do not
require normalizing; however, if these steels are normalized, no harmful effects
result. Castings are usually annealed, rather than normalized; however, some
castings require the normalizing treatment.
HARDENING
The hardening treatment for most steels consists of heating the steel to a set
temperature and then cooling it rapidly by plunging it into oil, water, or brine.
Most steels require rapid cooling (quenching) for hardening but a few can be air-
cooled with the same results. Hardening increases the hardness and strength of the
steel, but makes it less ductile. Generally, the harder the steel, the more brittle it
becomes. To remove some of the brittleness, you should temper the steel after
hardening.
Many nonferrous metals can be hardened and their strength increased by controlled
heating and rapid cooling. In this case, the process is called heat treatment, rather
than hardening.
To harden steel, you cool the metal rapidly after thoroughly soaking it at a
temperature slightly above its upper critical point. The addition of alloys to steel
decreases the cooling rate required to produce hardness. A decrease in the cooling
rate is an advantage, since it lessens the danger of cracking and warping.
Hardening is sub divided into 2; case hardening and flame hardening.
Case hardening: Case hardening produces a hard, wear-resistant surface or case
over a strong, tough core. It is ideal for parts that require a wear-resistant surface
and must be tough enough internally to withstand heavy loading. The steels best
suited for case hardening are the low-carbon and low-alloy series. When high-
carbon steels are case-hardened, the hardness penetrates the core and causes
brittleness. In case hardening, you change the surface of the metal chemically by
introducing a high carbide or nitride content. The core remains chemically
unaffected. When heat-treated, the high-carbon surface responds to hardening, and
the core toughens
Under case hardening, we have carburizing, nitriding and cyaniding.
Carburizing: Carburizing is a case-hardening process by which carbon is
added to the surface of low-carbon steel. This results in a carburized steel that has
a high-carbon surface and a low-carbon interior. When the carburized steel is heat-
treated, the case becomes hardened and the core remains soft and tough.
Nitriding: This case-hardening method produces the hardest surface of any
of the hardening processes. It differs from the other methods in that the individual
parts have been heat-treated and tempered before nitriding.
Cyaniding: This process is a type of case hardening that is fast and efficient.
Preheated steel is dipped into a heated cyanide bath and allowed to soak. Upon
removal, it is quenched and then rinsed to remove any residual cyanide.
Flame hardening: Flame hardening is another procedure that is used to harden the
surface of metal parts. When you use an oxyacetylene flame, a thin layer at the
surface of the part is rapidly heated to its critical temperature and then immediately
quenched by a combination of a water spray and the cold base metal. Flame
hardening can be divided into five general methods: stationary, circular band
progressive, straight line progressive, spiral band progressive, and circular band
spinning.

TEMPERING
After the hardening treatment is applied, steel is often harder than needed and is
too brittle for most practical uses. Also, severe internal stresses are set up during
the rapid cooling from the hardening temperature. To relieve the internal stresses
and reduce brittleness, you should temper the steel after it is hardened. Tempering
consists of heating the steel to a specific temperature (below its hardening
temperature), holding it at that temperature for the required length of time, and
then cooling it, usually instill air. The resultant strength, hardness, and ductility
depend on the temperature to which the steel is heated during the tempering
process.
The purpose of tempering is to reduce the brittleness imparted by hardening and to
produce definite physical properties within the steel. Tempering always follows,
never precedes, the hardening operation. Besides reducing brittleness, tempering
softens the steel. That is unavoidable, and the amount of hardness that is lost
depends on the temperature that the steel is heated to during the tempering process.
That is true of all steels except high-speed steel. Tempering increases the hardness
of high-speed steel.
Tempering colors of steel
Steel that has been freshly ground or polished will form oxide layers when heated.
At a very specific temperature, the iron oxide will form a layer with a very specific
thickness, causing thin-film interference. This causes colors to appear on the
surface of the steel. As temperature is increased, the iron oxide layer grows in
thickness, changing the color. [24] These colors, called tempering colors, have
been used for centuries to gauge the temperature of the metal. At around 350˚F
(176˚C) the steel will start to take on a very light, yellowish hue. At 400˚F (204˚C),
the steel will become a noticeable light-straw color, and at 440˚F (226˚C), the color
will become dark-straw. At 500˚F (260˚C), steel will turn brown, while at 540˚F
(282˚C) it will turn purple. At 590˚F (310˚C) the steel turns a very deep blue, but at
640˚F (337˚C) it becomes a rather light blue. [25]
The tempering colors can be used to judge the final properties of the tempered
steel. Very hard tools are often tempered in the light to dark straw range, whereas
springs are often tempered to the blue. However, the final hardness of the tempered
steel will vary, depending on the composition of the steel. Higher-carbon tool steel
will remain much harder after tempering than spring steel (of slightly less carbon)
when tempered at the same temperature. The oxide film will also increase in
thickness over time. Therefore, steel that has been held at 400˚F for a very long
time may turn brown or purple, even though the temperature never exceeded that
needed to produce a light straw color. Other factors affecting the final outcome are
oil films on the surface and the type of heat source used.
 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
Heat treatment is a combination of timed heating and cooling operations applied
to a metal or alloy in the solid state in such ways as to produce certain
microstructures and desired properties. Annealing, Normalizing, Quench
Hardening and Tempering are four of the important heat treatments often used
to modify the microstructure and properties of steels. The microstructure
produced by any of the above heat treatments can be deduced using Continuous
Cooling Transformation (CCT) diagrams, which are directly related to the Time
Temperature Transformation (TTT) diagrams for the specific steel being
treated. Such a TTT diagram for eutectoid steel is shown in Figure 1. The
microstructures that result from various heat treatments are dependent on the
cooling rate from the austenite range; they are predicted using the TTT diagram
with superimposed cooling curves for the selected material.
Time Temperature Transformation (TTT) and Continuous Cooling Transformation
(CCT)
Recall that phase diagrams indicate the microstructures that should develop if
equilibrium conditions are attained. Engineering materials often involve phase
transformations that result in non-equilibrium structures. These non-
equilibrium structures are Metastable – that is they’re stable in time but will
transform into the equilibrium structure over time. Phase transformations,
especially solid-solid transformations as in an eutectoid reaction, do not occur
instantaneously; phase transformations require time! TTT and CCT diagrams
summarize the percent completion of a given phase transformation and are
similar to phase diagrams except that time is included.
TTT and CCT diagrams generally contain 3 distinct lines, which represent:
Nucleation Line – Beginning of the Phase Transformation Process.
50% Completion of the Phase Transformation.
~100% Completion of the Phase Transformation.
Iron – Iron Carbide (steel) TTT and CCT diagrams involve the transformation of
Austenite. Looking specifically at eutectoid composition steel (0.77wt% C)
Pearlite is composed of alternating layers of Ferrite and Cementite. Pearlite layer
thickness is a function of quenching temperature (and Rate):
1. Thick layers (Coarse Pearlite) are produced at a quench temperature of ~6500C.
2. Thin layers (Fine Pearlite) are produced at a quench temperature of ~5000C.
 3. A particulate structure (Bainite) is produced at a quench temperature of
~3500C.
Coarse Pearlite is relatively soft and ductile but is often utilized as a low-
cost structural material. Its' properties depend largely on carbon content.
Fine Pearlite is generally a mid-range steel with good strength and
ductility characteristics; actual properties are a function of carbon content.
Bainite is stronger and slightly less ductile than Fine Pearlite. Overall
Bainite is a relatively cheap steel which combines good strength with
moderate ductility.

If Austenite is quenched (cooled rapidly) at a rate such that the knee of the
TTT/CCT diagram is avoided (rapid quench), a diffusionless transformation into
Martensite occurs where:
MS -> Start of the Transformation.
M50 -> 50% Transformed into Martinsite.
M90 -> 90% Transformed into Martinsite.
The Martensite transformation involves sudden reorientation of the carbon
atoms in the FCC Austenite structure to a Body Centered Tetragonal (BCT)
structure without allowing time for the diffusion of atoms to their lowest-
energy equilibrium positions. The result is a high internal energy material
that is very strong, hard, brittle and susceptible to rapid crack growth.

CONTINUOUS COOLING TRANSFORMATION DIAGRAMS

In practice, most heat treatments for steels involve the continuous cooling
of a specimen to room temperature. TTT diagrams are valid only for
constant quenching temperatures. For Continuous Cooling, the required
time for a reaction to begin and end is slightly delayed and cooling does
not occur at a constant temperature.
Hardness Testing

Hardness tests measure the resistance to penetration of the surface of a

material by a hard object. The depth of penetration is measured by the testing
machine and converted to a hardness number. C-Scale Rockwell Hardness
(HRC) numbers can be converted to Brinell Hardness (HB) numbers and then
used to approximate the tensile strength in steels.

Impact Testing
When a material is subjected to a sudden intense blow in which the strain rate is
extremely rapid, it may behave in a much more brittle manner than is observed in
the tensile test. The Charpy Impact test, also known as the notch toughness test,
is often used to evaluate the brittleness of a material under these conditions. The
test specimen should be notched, because V-notched specimens better measure
the resistance of the material to crack propagation. The ability of a material to
withstand an impact blow is often referred to as the toughness.
 FURNACES

Furnaces used for heat treatment can be split into two broad categories: batch
furnaces and continuous furnaces. Batch furnaces are usually manually loaded
and unloaded, whereas continuous furnaces have an automatic conveying system
to provide a constant load into the furnace chamber.[32]
Batch furnaces
Batch systems usually consist of an insulated chamber with a steel shell, a heating
system , and an access door to the chamber. [32]
- Box-type furnace
Many basic box type furnaces have been upgraded to a semi-continuous batch
furnace with the addition of integrated quench tanks and slow-cool chambers.
These upgraded furnaces are a very commonly used piece of equipment for heat-
treating. [32]
- Car-type furnace
Also known as a "bogie hearth", the car furnace is an extremely large batch
furnace. The floor is constructed as an insulated movable car that is moved in and
out of the furnace for loading and unloading. The car is usually sealed using sand
seals or solid seals when in position. Due to the difficulty in getting a sufficient
seal, car furnaces are usually used for non-atmosphere processes.
- Elevator-type furnace
Similar in type to the car furnace, except that the car and hearth are rolled into
position beneath the furnace and raised by means of a motor driven mechanism,
elevator furnaces can handle large heavy loads and often eliminate the need for
any external cranes and transfer mechanisms. [32]
- Bell-type furnace
Bell furnaces have removable covers called bells, which are lowered over the load
and hearth by crane. An inner bell is placed over the hearth and sealed to supply a
protective atmosphere. An outer bell is lowered to provide the heat supply.
- Pit furnaces
Furnaces which are constructed in a pit and extend to floor level or slightly above
are called pit furnaces. Work pieces can be suspended from fixtures, held in
baskets or placed on bases in the furnace. Pit furnaces are suited to heating long
tubes, shafts and rods by holding them in a vertical position. This manner of
loading provides minimal distortion.
- Salt bath furnaces
Salt baths are used in a wide variety of heat treatment processes including neutral
hardening, liquid carburizing, liquid nitriding , austempering , martempering and
tempering . Parts are loaded into a pot of molten salt where they are heated by
conduction , giving a very readily available source of heat. The core temperature
of a part rises in temperature at approximately the same rate as its surface in a
salt bath. [32]
Salt baths utilize a variety of salts for heat treatment, with cyanide salts being the
most extensively used. Concerns about associated occupation health and safety,
and expensive waste management and disposal due to their environmental
effects has made the use of salt baths less attractive in recent years.
Consequently, many salt baths are being replaced by more environmentally
friendly fluidised bed furnaces.
- Fluidised bed furnaces
A fluidised bed consists of a cylindrical retort made from high temperature alloy,
filled with sand-like aluminium oxide particulate. Gas (air or nitrogen) is bubbled
through the oxide and the sand moves in such a way that is exhibits fluid-like
behaviour, hence the term fluidised . The solid-solid contact of the oxide gives
very high thermal conductivity and excellent temperature uniformity throughout
the furnace, comparable to those seen in a salt bath.
 3.0 METHODOLOGY
The experiments that were carried out on steel were annealing, tempering,
quenching or hardening, normalizing.
THE ANNEALING EXPERIMENT
AIM: To study the behavior of steel austenized to a certain high temperature and
allowed to be furnace cooled.
APPARATUS: furnace, hard steel bar, ceramic crucible, shank,
THEORY: Annealing changes the material’s molecular structure causing it to
withstand more stress and strain when force is applied.A hard material is a material
which has a small yield point and when stressed, it quickly reaches its breaking
point. To make the hard material ductile, the process of annealing is undergone.
The procedures for annealing steel were as follows:
i) The furnace is powered on.
ii) The hard steel bar is put into the furnace and set to 900oC.
iii) After 50 minutes, the furnace is powered off.
iv) It is then allowed to cool back slowly to room temperature in the
furnace.

THE HARDENING OR QUENCHING EXPERIMENT

AIM: to study the behavior of steel when quickly quenched from a high
temperature in water.
APPARATUS: furnace, steel, crucible, shank, water container or quench tank.
THEORY: A hard material is a material which has a small yield point and when
stressed, it quickly reaches its breaking point. To make the hard material, it is
heated in the furnace to a certain high temperature and after the temperature is
attained, it is put into a container of water.
The procedures for annealing steel were as follows:
i) The furnace is powered on.
ii) The hard steel bar is put into the furnace and set to 900oC.
iii) After the temperature is attained, the steel is brought out of the furnace.
 iv) It is then put into water to cool.
v) Test for hardness.

THE TEMPERING EXPERIMENT

AIM: The aim of this experiment is to show the change in the characteristics of
steel from hard and brittle to make it ductile and reduce the brittleness.

APPARATUS: furnace, crucible, shank, quench tank

THEORY: the process of tempering involves heating steel to a certain high

temperature and quenched. After quenching, the steel is heated up to a temperature
below its critical point. After doing this, the material will be less hard and more
ductile and its previous hard nature.

PROCEDURE:
I) Put the material in the furnace and set the temperature to the required
temperature.
II) After reaching the temperature, it is removed from the furnace and
quenched in the quenched tank.
III) The furnace is allowed to cool and the hard material is put into the
furnace and reheated to around 400oC.
IV) After this, a test for hardness and ductility is done.

THE NORMALIZING EXPERIMENT

AIM: To show the change in physical properties of steel after going through a
process of normalizing.

APPARATUS: Furnace, crucible, shank

THEORY: In this case, the metal is heated at a higher temperature and brought out
of the furnace to be air cooled. The purpose of normalizing is to remove the
internal stresses induced by heat treating, welding, casting, forging, forming, or
machining. Stress, if not controlled, leads to metal failure; therefore, before
hardening steel, you should normalize it first to ensure the maximum desired
results.

PROCEDURE:
i) The steel is heated in the furnace to a temperature higher than 9000C
ii) After the temperature I attained, it is brought with the help of the shank
and allowed to be air cooled.
iii) Test for hardness and toughness.
 4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Steel was used for the present work. Hardness was determined for differently heat-
treated steels. The table below shows the hardness values (BHN) of heat treated
specimens.
HARDNESS VALUES OF HEAT TREATED VALUES

Comparison of hardness values of steel for different heat treatments.

From the figure, it is seen that the annealed specimen has the lowest hardness
values, as the rate of cooling was very slow. Highest rate of cooling was
applicable to quenched specimen; hence it reported the highest hardness values.
It is also observed that effect of tempering on the hardness of steel is the most
in case of quenching, where a decrease in hardness of almost 43% is achieved.
This is possibly due to formation of martensite and precipitation of carbide
particles existing in the microstructure of the workpiece. The reduction in
hardness in case of tempering after normalizing is 32.5%, while it is the least in
case of tempering after annealing (18.3%). The changes in the microstructure
on account of different heat treatments are shown later.
The samples are placed under optical microscope and their micro structures were
observed. Figures (a) and (b) show the microstructure in case of annealed and
tempered and annealed steel.

Figure (a): Annealed microstructure Figure (b): Tempered after annealing

(1000x). microstructure (1000x).
The white patches signify formation of ferrite and the dark grey signify pearlite
formation. Amount of ferrite is less than the amount of pearlite which signifies
large martensite formation. When the annealed steel was tempered, the
microstructure shows the formation of coarse pearlite grains, as indicated by
black patches in figure (b). Graphite flakes are also observed, as shown by grey
areas. This accounts for the hardness reduction at the surface of the workpiece.
Figures (c) and (d) show the microstructure in case of normalized and tempered
after
normalizing EN9 steel respectively.

Figure (c): Normalized microstructure Figure (c): Tempered after normalizing

(1000x). microstructure (1000x).
From the above figure (c), it can be seen that fine pearlite grains are formed in
the microstructure as a result of normalizing and the whole microstructure is
almost pearlite. Austenite grains are also seen. The difference in microstructure
is seen as the samples were cooled in still air, and so the cooling rate was faster
than in annealing. When normalized steel is reheated at a temperature of 300 0C
(tempering), formation of coarse pearlite, as seen by bigger grains, occurs, as
evident from figure (d). This leads to a reduction in hardness of the normalized
steel after tempering.
Figures (e) and (f) show the microstructure in case of quenched and tempered after
quenching samples of steel.

Figure (e): Quenched microstructure Figure (f): Tempered microstructure

(1000x). after quenching (1000x).
It is quite evident, from figure (e), that huge martensite formation takes place
due to quenching in water. Rapid cooling takes place, due to which the
austenite becomes unstable and breaks down to form martensite, which is a
very hard structure. In figure (f), highly recrystallized ferrite grains with some
secondary graphite site was observed. This micrograph revealed that the
microstructure of tempered specimen consisted of appreciable carbide particles
precipitated out from the matrix, which indicated that the precipitate carbide
particles decomposed by a process of solution in ferrite matrix. By this process
the hardness of the steel is decreased and the material is also stress-relieved.
 4.0 CONCLUSION
The experimental work in this paper compares the microstructure and the hardness
of EN 9 steel under three different heat treatment methods. Also, hardness values
and microstructure were compared under heat treatment methods with and without
tempering. It is seen that tempering after heat treatment always led to a reduction
in hardness. This is usually beneficial for machining, as low cutting forces and
energy will be required. However, reduced hardness will lead to accelerated wear,
in certain applications. So, it is observed that EN 9 steel should be tempered after
normalizing, as hardness will decrease, but not by a large extent, ensuring good
machinability.
REFERENCES

[1] Adekunle Yekinni 2015 Properties of Materials 113 – 114

[2] RC to BHN Conversion Chart - http://www.carbidedepot.com/formulas-
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